FOUN 1004 Thinking Skills Assessment Test 4

1 In the twenty-first century, many people aged over 65 are perfectly capable of working, and also are likely to live
longer than individuals did in previous times. If people work after age 65, there is more chance that they will be
financially self-sufficient when they do retire. Compulsory retirement ages have long been banned in the USA,
and we should get rid of them in the UK also. This would be good for individuals and for the country. We should
ignore those employers who complain that they would be unable to get rid of older and inefficient employees.
After all, those who are really incompetent to do a job can be dismissed on the grounds of merit, rather than of
age.

Which of the following expresses the main conclusion of the above argument?

A It is unfair to prevent people working after age 65.

B People who are incompetent to do a job can be dismissed.

C Raising the retirement age would be good for the country.

D The UK should abolish compulsory retirement ages.

E Those who work beyond age 65 can be financially self-sufficient.

2. The government blames schools and teachers for boys underperforming. However, science tells a different
story. Evolutionary biology shows that females have evolved to have better verbal and emotional skills than
males because of the need in prehistoric times for women to take the lead in child rearing. By contrast, the need
for males in prehistoric times to hunt in packs for food has made males more prone to violence and also skilled
at calculating and planning. Neurologists have added to this insight by showing that the male hormone
testosterone has an adverse impact on language skills. So clearly differences in educational performance
between boys and girls cannot be explained in terms of failing teachers.

Which of the following is the best statement of the flaw in the above argument?

A It assumes that scientific explanations apply to the average male or female ignoring exceptions.

B It assumes that biological differences come in degrees and are not absolute.

C It assumes that skills in calculating and planning have a role in educational performance.

D It assumes that the differences in performance between the sexes are due solely to biological differences.

E It assumes that teachers are not trying to improve the performance of failing boys.

3. The effect of shortening degree courses at universities from three years to two would be that students would
have two-thirds as much time to think about their subject. The result would be graduates whose understanding
of their subject was shallower and whose intellectual development was much less extended. Any measure that
leads to a lowering of the quality of graduates should be resisted by universities.

Which one of the following conclusions can reliably be drawn from the above passage?

A University graduates at present have an in-depth understanding of their subject.

B Universities should oppose the shortening of degree courses to two years.

D Students should oppose moves by universities to shorten degree courses.

E Universities should adopt more rigorous standards for the award of degrees.

4. Many people suffer from depression in modern society. This can be alleviated through drugs such as Prozac,
which alter the chemical balance of the brain. However, the individual can undergo psychotherapy, which
involves talking through problems with a sympathetic and skilled fellow human being with a view to putting the
subject in a more positive frame of mind. Depressed individuals who do not like the idea of their brain chemistry
being altered should therefore choose psychotherapy.

Which one of the following is an underlying assumption of the above argument?

A Psychotherapy is more effective than drugs in treating depression.

B Alternative medicine is preferable to conventional medicine.

C Psychotherapy cannot be combined with drug treatments.

D Depression is caused by the pace of modern life.

E Psychotherapy does not alter the individual's brain chemistry.

5. Zoos are entirely unsuitable places for animals. People visit zoos to learn about animal behaviour but the
animals they see are likely to be behaving in abnormal and neurotic ways because of the cramped and unnatural
conditions in which they are kept. Zoos should be closed down and the money saved should be reallocated to
the protection of natural habitats.

Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the above argument?

A Humans living in cramped conditions can also become neurotic.

B Schoolchildren can learn a great deal about animals from visiting zoos.

C Many of the animals at present in zoos would not be capable of living in the wild.

D The protection of wildlife habitats is very costly.

E Zoos enable endangered species to survive by breeding them in captivity and then re-introducing them to the wild.

6. Observations of the brains of adult human subjects before and after periods of intense memory recall (for
instance preparing for the exams taken by London taxi drivers testing their knowledge of London) have shown
surprising results. When comparisons were made between brain scans taken at the start of their preparations
and at the end, it was found that the parts of the brain responsible for memory had actually increased in size.
This would seem to suggest that, just like a muscle, the brain increases in size and power the more it is used.
People who want to improve their overall IQ (Intelligence Quotent), therefore, should simply take a very large
number of IQ tests!

Which of the following is the best expression of the flaw in the above argument?

A London taxi drivers are not necessarily representative of the population as a whole.

B It assumes that there is a single part of the brain that is responsible for one's IQ.
C It draws a general conclusion about intelligence from the particular example of memory.

D It does not state how many IQ tests constitutes a very large number.

E Brain size is not necessarily dependent on the extent of mental activity undertaken.

7. There is widespread and justified concern about the reliance on expert opinion in law court cases. Where
experts disagree on an interpretation of the facts, there is always the possibility that the more charismatic and
persuasive expert's opinion will prevail for this reason alone. Their reason for holding the opinions they do could
be more to do with their own personal prejudices than their professional expertise. However, if we want justice
to be done, we should distinguish sharply between this and expert evidence which is not reliant on
interpretation. It would be a tragedy if key advances in tackling crime such as matching DNA were regarded with
suspicion just because such evidence came from an expert witness.

Which of the following is a statement of the main conclusion in the above argument?

A The widespread concern about the use of expert opinion in legal cases is justified.

B It would be most regrettable if evidence such as DNA became suspect in legal cases.

C In the interests of justice we should distinguish between expert evidence and expert opinion.

D Expert opinion may arise from personal views rather than professional knowledge.

E Juries may be swayed by the personal characteristics of those presenting expert opinions

8. A dishonest act, such as stealing money from a handbag or cheating in school, may arise for one of many
different reasons. But the reasons may be consistent with the personality of the individual involved. One child
may steal, for example, in order to show off; another, to get money to support a hobby (or to get a birthday
present for a younger sister); another, to express aggression or hatred against the person from whom he or she
steals. One child may cheat in order to avoid punishment for academic failure; another, because of personal
ambition; another to express contempt for the system.

Which one of the following is a conclusion that can be drawn from the passage above?

A It is wrong to assume that a child who is dishonest in one kind of situation will be dishonest in others.

B A child who cheats does so for very complex reasons.

C A child whose motive is generosity towards someone else should not be blamed for stealing.

D Underlying all dishonest acts is hostility towards others.

E Children who are neither exhibitionist nor aggressive nor acquisitive are unlikely to steal money.

9. Unlike motorways in many European countries, British motorways were built with hard shoulders for use in a
breakdown or emergency. The proposal to use the hard shoulders to relieve congestion during peak traffic hours
should not be adopted. It would be inconvenient for emergency services because when the hard shoulders are
in use, it would be difficult for emergency vehicles to reach an accident. Nor would it be likely to significantly
reduce congestion because it would be difficult to remove obstructions caused by broken down vehicles, and in
any case the volume of traffic is increasing massively each year. But the most important reason is that we should
 seek to maintain Britain's relatively good record of safety on motorways. Other ways of relieving congestion
must be sought.

Which of the following is an assumption underlying the above argument?

A Britain's record for motorway safety is the best in Europe.

B Congestion on British motorways is not a major problem.

C Accidents are more likely to happen when motorways are congested.

D Changing the design of British motorways will not solve the problem of congestion.

E Britain's good safety record for motorways is partly attributable to the presence of hard shoulders.

10. "I tried a speed reading course and read 'War and Peace' in three hours. It's about Russia." Woody Allen's joke
strikes a chord with many who doubt the effectiveness of speed reading techniques. These techniques usually
involve moving your finger smoothly and quickly along lines of text and training your eyes to follow, so
preventing your eyes going back over words you have already read, which is what we normally do. There have
been reports of readers achieving incredible speeds using these techniques, but such achievements are of
limited benefit to many readers, particularly students, who have to gain a deep understanding of what they
read.

Which of the following, if true, would weaken the above argument?

A For many tasks a student has to do, speed reading can lead to a superficial understanding.

B Speed reading techniques are more difficult to acquire the older you are.

C A student, after reading the argument, commented, "I find I understand what I am reading better if I read quickly."

D A student, after reading the argument, commented, "I use speed reading for easy texts. I have to read slowly if the
content is difficult."

E Speed readers have found they have difficulty in reading for pleasure (for example when reading novels or magazines)

11. The most common excuse for the poor performance of English school children at learning foreign languages is
the fact that English is so widely spoken in the world. Thus, when the English travel to another country, they feel
little need to become proficient in the local language. But that cannot explain why, amongst children who have
never travelled outside their own country, the English are still out-performed by their overseas counterparts in
foreign language acquisition. One is led to the inevitable conclusion that English schools are deficient in the
teaching of languages.

Which of the following is the best statement of the flaw in this argument?

A It does not take into account the low levels of funding in English schools.

B It overlooks the fact that other languages, for example Spanish, are also widely spoken in the world.

C It is based upon evidence taken from an unrepresentative sample: those children who have not travelled abroad.

D It reaches its conclusion without considering other possible explanations for poor performance in languages.

E It fails to offer any proof that the English are poor at learning foreign languages.
12. If I do more work tonight, I will earn more money. However, if I go for a bike ride, I will get fitter. I need to get
fitter more than I need more money. So, I will go for a bike ride.

Which of the following most closely parallels the reasoning in the above argument?

A If I eat that cake it will taste really good. But if I do not eat that cake I will lose weight. I don't care about losing weight
anymore! So I'm going to eat that cake.

B If I learn to drive I will have a useful skill. If I save my money I will be able to travel round the world. I need to be able
to drive, but I can learn that later. So I will travel the world while I am young.

C If I work every evening in a bar, I will be able to buy my own clothes. But, if I stay in and do my homework, I will get
better grades. Right now it is more important to me to earn my own money, but I know I will regret it if I get bad
grades. So I will only work two evenings a week.

D If I do the housework, the house will be clean and pleasant. If I go to the pub, I will be relaxed and pleasant. I prefer a
pleasant me to a pleasant house, so I will go to the pub.

E If I go out now, I will have fun with my friends. However, if I go out, I will not do my homework, and if I don't do my
homework my teacher shout at me in front of my friends. So I had better not go out.

13. The increasing use of mobile phones on trains and in restaurants shows a serious lack of consideration for other
people. Yes, of course, it is very convenient to be able to conduct your business while travelling or waiting for
your food, and, whether we like it or not, the technology is here to stay. But nobody really wants to listen to one
end of someone else's boring conversations throughout a meal or a journey. The same phone user would soon
object if I were to read aloud from the newspaper and disrupt his or her call. Therefore, given that people
should treat others in the way they expect to be treated themselves, mobile phones should not be freely used
on trains and in restaurants.

Which of the following best illustrates the principle underlying the argument above?

A You would object if your children made you listen to their music so you should not inflict your choice of music on
them.

B No one should try to turn the clock back, especially when it comes to technology; therefore you should accept some
annoyances for the sake of progress and convenience.

C There should be no first class accommodation on trains on the grounds that all paying customers should be treated
equally.

D One person's annoyance is another person's convenience; therefore we should be more tolerant of each other's
behaviour.

E Calm and relaxation are the keys to a happy life; therefore we should avoid the unnecessary stresses that the modern
technological world has brought with it.

14. Over-qualification is sometimes cited as a reason for rejecting an applicant for a job. But to qualify means to
reach a certain standard regardless of the amount by which that standard is surpassed. If someone holding a
first-class honours degree is rejected for a job on the grounds that academic excellence is less important than,
say, a caring attitude, this is not a case of over-qualification in one direction but of under-qualification in
another. For this reason, applicants should not be rejected because they are over-qualified; any explanation for
failure should always be in terms of shortcomings.
Which of the following best expresses the main conclusion of the argument above?

A There are no circumstances under which someone can be over-qualified for a job.

B Holding the highest academic qualifications is not always as important as having the right attitudes.

C The definition of the word 'qualify' sets no upper limits on the standard that can be achieved.

D Employers should be honest with unsuccessful applicants when explaining why they have not been appointed.

E Over-qualification should not be given as a reason for not appointing someone to a job.

15. The so-called 'baby-boomer' generation (people born in Britain in the late 1940's /early 1950's) will enjoy a
good chance of reaching a ripe old-age. They benefited from a diet that was austere but healthy when they were
children and this has influenced their adult tastes. In addition, people in this age group have given up unhealthy
activities such as smoking cigarettes. In contrast, the generation represented by those currently in their 20's and
early 30's are in danger of experiencing serious health problems which would decrease their life expectancy.
This is the 'Big Mac' generation whose childhood diet was high in fat and sugar, which they continue to crave.
They also show worrying tendencies to indulge in 'binge drinking' and other health-threatening activities.

Which of the following is a conclusion that can be drawn from the above passage?

A Health is largely determined by factors which the individual can control.

B Health education is becoming less effective in controlling behaviour.

C The trend towards ever-increasing life expectancy will be reversed.

D The 'Big Mac' generation would be wise to change their lifestyle.

E The health service will be put under greater strain in the future.

Bonus Question

To take part in the National Lottery, entrants must select six different numbers between 1 and 49 inclusive.

My mother asked me to buy a National Lottery ticket for her. "Choose any six numbers you like," she said, "but make
sure that each one is a multiple of 3, or contains a 3, or 6 or 9."

How many numbers can I choose from?

A 15

B 16

C 22

D 25

E 31